"Our hands were tied." Millie's Story (Cannabis for Kids, Part 1)

"Our hands were tied." Millie's Story (Cannabis for Kids, Part 1)

Penn and Nicole Mattison's daughter, Millie, has infantile spasms with hypsarrhythmia, a form of epilepsy. By the time she was four months old she was having upwards of 700 seizures a day. The Mattisons tried numerous medications and diet plans, but Millie didn't improve. After her doctors said they'd tried everything they could, the Mattisons looked to Colorado for an alternative treatment.

Some parents are turning to cannabidiol (CBD) oil, a cannabis extract with little or none of the psychoactive compound THC, to treat their children who have cancer and epilepsy. The oil is currently legal in more than a dozen U.S. states, but the supply is limited. The science also lags the law—dosing standards haven't been set, and the effects of long-term use are unclear. Many doctors believe that more research is needed. In "Cannabis for Kids" a few parents share their experiences navigating the uncertainties of medical marijuana in America as they try to help their children.

"Our hands were tied." Millie's Story (Cannabis for Kids, Part 1)

Penn and Nicole Mattison's daughter, Millie, has infantile spasms with hypsarrhythmia, a form of epilepsy. By the time she was four months old she was having upwards of 700 seizures a day. The Mattisons tried numerous medications and diet plans, but Millie didn't improve. After her doctors said they'd tried everything they could, the Mattisons looked to Colorado for an alternative treatment.

Some parents are turning to cannabidiol (CBD) oil, a cannabis extract with little or none of the psychoactive compound THC, to treat their children who have cancer and epilepsy. The oil is currently legal in more than a dozen U.S. states, but the supply is limited. The science also lags the law—dosing standards haven't been set, and the effects of long-term use are unclear. Many doctors believe that more research is needed. In "Cannabis for Kids" a few parents share their experiences navigating the uncertainties of medical marijuana in America as they try to help their children.